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Trying to start a family? You may want to stop doing this

A recent study reveals that cutting this out of your life can significantly improve your chances of conceiving.

If you’re a fan of a hot cup of coffee each morning and you’re trying to start a family, you may want to reconsider keeping the daily ritual a part of your life. According to a report from NBC News, a recent study has linked caffeine use with a higher risk of miscarriages.

The study showed that people who drink even more than a little caffeine are more likely to lose a pregnancy in its early stages than others. Surprisingly, the study’s findings apply to both men and women.

When a person consumed three or more cups of caffeinated drinks each day before a pregnancy, a woman was nearly two times as likely to experience an early miscarriage. The risk of miscarriage persisted if women continued to drink caffeinated beverages during pregnancy – these can include sodas, energy drinks, and coffee.

According to Germaine Buck Louis of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the study’s lead author, “There’s something about drinking caffeinated beverages that is associated with pregnancy loss.”

The study also showed that women who regularly took multivitamins before and after conception were 50 percent less likely to miscarry. Researchers examined 344 couples in Texas and Michigan who submitted detailed health records as they tried to start a family. They recorded their caffeine, fish and alcohol intake during this time period, and regularly gave blood, urine, saliva and semen samples.

Researchers hoped to get a better read on what common foods and drinks would affect the success of a pregnancy. “Our findings provide useful information for couples who are planning a pregnancy and who would like to minimize their risk for early pregnancy loss,” said Louis.

28 percent of the 344 pregnancies in the study ended in a miscarriage. While mother age played a significant role in determining the outcome of a pregnancy, the researchers also showed that drinking three or more caffeinated beverages a day raised the risk of miscarriage by 74 percent.

A press release from NIH describing the details of the study can be found here.